


Strange Magic

by thatoneshippyblog



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Bad Cooking, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 19:10:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17167697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatoneshippyblog/pseuds/thatoneshippyblog
Summary: While sneaking into the kitchens, Jay discovers Jane sneaking in the kitchens. It grows from there.





	Strange Magic

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Descendants Secret Santa](http://descendantssecretsanta.tumblr.com) as a gift for [malicebertha](http://malicebertha.tumblr.com)! 
> 
> I saw this pairing on their app and immediately zoomed in, haha. 
> 
> Not beta'd, all mistakes are my own!

“Well, well,” Jay said, grinning at the way Jane froze. “Doing nefarious things late at night, are we?” 

He had snuck into the kitchens for some late night foraging, and what did he find? Jane hovering over pots and pans, bits of powder and batter on her skin. What a sight. 

Jane blinked then huffed a little, her cheeks tinting pink. “The only nefarious thing going on here is my cooking skills.” 

“Aren’t you magic?” Jay asked as he got closer, observing the mess. Nothing smelled edible, and he had eaten very not-really-edible things in his life. 

“That’s cheating,” Jane said with a pout. 

Already had that lecture, huh, Jay thought as he leaned on the counter. “Secret’s safe with me, little fairy.”

Cheeks growing darker, Jane began mixing something in one of the bowls before her. “And what are you doing in the kitchens this time at night?” 

“Nefarious things,” Jay sing-songed, grinning when Jane narrowed her eyes. “Like eating snacks without judgmental stares.” 

Huffing, the corners of her lips curling upward, Jane said, “Might have to come back then.”

“I’ll brave it.” To prove it, Jay walked over to the pantries, intent to find something either chocolate covered or flavored. “So. Why and what are we cooking?” he asked, barely glancing over his shoulder. 

There was a moment of silence before Jane answered, her voice quiet, as if she were embarrassed. “I haven’t been getting the best marks in my domestic and practical skills class, so I thought I’d practice.” 

“Neat,” Jay said, and he found a suitable snack. He opened the bag as he turned back to Jane, leaning against the pantry door and watching as she carried on. 

For a few long moments, the only sounds in the kitchens were the occasional _pang_ from Jane’s cooking and Jay’s munching. 

“Are you going to stare the whole time you’re here?” Jane finally asked, moving the bowl away from her. 

Jay shrugged. “I could help.”

Jane blinked in surprise. “You know how to cook?”

“Nope,” Jay said, “not really. But hey, it’ll be fine.” 

“I wish I had your attitude, but I can’t really let anyone try my disaster dishes as they are now, but I can’t improve if I don’t know _what_ I need to improve,” Jane practically lamented as she leaned on the counter, her head in her arms. 

“I think that’s the first time someone’s told me they wanted my attitude,” Jay said, amused at both the words and Jane’s antics. He lightly patted her head. “How ‘bout this: you make whatever, and I’ll be your taste tester.” 

Jane righted herself so quickly that she startled Jay. “I couldn’t let you do that!” 

“Sure you could. It’s free food, and I can promise you with absolute certainty that whatever you make won’t be the worst thing I’ve ever eaten.” 

Jane stared at him — really stared, in a way that few people ever did, unashamed and intent, making a study, but no judgment in her gaze. 

It made Jay uncomfortable, made him feel things in his stomach. 

So he deflected. 

“I know I’m pretty, but you should try not to stare so much.” 

His words snapped Jane out of her little trance, and she huffed, a pink tint to her cheeks. “I wasn’t staring. I was just imagining you throwing up whatever I make.” 

“Ah,” Jay drawled, unable to keep his grin in check. “I smell a challenge.” 

Smiling to herself, Jane got back to work. “You might regret agreeing to this.” 

Settling in to wait until she was finished with whatever dish she was making, Jay shrugged. “We’ll see,” he said, a waggle to his eyebrow just to see Jane smile wider. 

He was looking forward to it more than he probably should be. 

Not that he was going to tell Jane. Not yet, at least. 

———

Tourney practice was wrapping up, and Jay spotted Jane on the sidelines; she had traded the knight mascot for a cheerleader uniform, and judging from the way she moved in it, she hadn’t gotten use to it yet. 

So when practice officially ended, Jay made his way over to the cheerleaders, giving the other girls half-hearted waves and nods as he passed them. 

“Hey, girlie, you new on the team?” Jay purred out as he neared Jane. 

Jane turned in surprise before recognition settled on her features. “Maybe you just didn’t notice me before,” she said as she picked up her stuff. 

“Impossible, that would be a crime on my part.” 

Jane actually laughed. “And people fall for this?” She pulled out a water bottle from her bag and took a sip. 

“You tell me,” Jay said with a grin. “So what’s up, little fairy, are we meeting tonight?” 

Jane coughed mid sip, spilling some of her water, and she glanced at Jay with wide eyes as several of her team members giggled around her. 

“So that’s a no,” Jay guessed. 

“Yes, that’s a no!” Jane whispered, despite the fact that several of the girls were already talking amongst themselves as they left, casting glances back at them. “I have more than one class, you know. I can’t spend all my nights cooking.” 

Jay shrugged. “In my opinion, you don’t need it. That chicken thing was good.” 

“It was supposed to be potatoes au gratin…” 

“Ah. Then, yeah, you probably need more practice.” 

Jane lightly slapped Jay’s shoulder. “Even so, I can’t tonight. I have an exam tomorrow, so I need to review and get a good night’s sleep.” 

“Ugh, you really are a goodie-good.” 

“Maybe you should follow my example.” Jane gestured to the gym. “Shouldn’t you get going? I’m sure you have plenty of homework to do.” 

“Yes, ma’am, right away,” Jay said, giving Jane a salute. 

Jane rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she left, so Jay counted it as a little victory. 

———

“So, what’s on the menu tonight,” Jay as he rummaged through the pantry. 

“Something easier,” Jane said, placing her ingredients on the counter. “Omelets.” 

“Delicious.” Jay was of the opinion that it was hard to mess up breakfast foods, so he felt confident that Jane could pull it off. 

“You say that about everything,” Jane said with a smile. 

He turned to her with a grin. “That’s cause it’s been pretty delicious so far.” 

“None of the meals I’ve made turned out like they were supposed to, though.” 

“Still. They were good.” He frowned when Jane only gave him a half-hearted shrug in reply. “I mean. Shouldn’t you get graded on effort and taste? Who cares if your presentation is a little off.” 

That got a smile to appear on her lips. “Thanks,” she said softly. 

“You’re welcome,” Jay said, equally soft, and he watched her begin the process for omelets. 

Not for the first time, he admired how focused she was in her task, once again taken in by the way her tongue poked out her mouth just a fraction in her concentration. He was almost positive she had no idea she even did that, and he was charmed by the whole thing. 

This was only their fourth meeting, and Jay found himself wishing they met more often. Still, he enjoyed the time they did get to spend with each other, even if it were mostly confined to a secret rendezvous in the kitchens at night. 

They did see each other during the day, but their schedules rarely let them actually slow down and chill. 

“Here,” she said, bringing him out of his musing, and she placed a plate with a large yellow mass on it in front of him. 

“Smells delightful,” he said happily as he dug in without finesse. He hummed in appreciation. “Tastes delightful as well.” 

Though she tried to hide it, Jane’s smile was bright as she took a bite for herself. 

She’s getting more confident, good, Jay thought, satisfied as he continued eating. 

“Oh, by the way...” Jane let her voice trail as she fished something out of her bag. She presented it to Jay without fanfare. 

Eyebrow raised, Jay took it, staring at the envelope that was sealed with a heart-shaped sticker. “My, my. A love confession is a little bold for you.” 

Jane rolled her eyes. “It’s from Emily.” 

“Who?” Jay said as he opened the letter, scanning the contents as briefly as he could. “Yeah, no thanks.” He placed them aside, wondering the best way to decline the girl’s offer tomorrow. 

Jane shook her head. “Did you even read it?” 

“Most of it, but I’m not really interested in people who can’t hand things like this to me face to face,” Jay said, unashamed. 

“What if they’re shy!” 

“Well, if you really liked someone, wouldn’t you make the effort?” 

It felt a little weird, talking about things like this with Jane, but Jay figured that since Jane was trusting him with her insecurity concerning cooking, he could trust her with his views on romantic feelings. 

Jane remained silent. “I guess you do like headstrong girls.” 

“Headstrong?” 

“Well. You hang around Lonnie a lot.” 

“Yeah, cause she’s awesome, but no way would I date her. In fact, I think she’d laugh at the very thought of dating me.” In fact, Jay knew she would, considering she cracked up when someone asked them to their face if they were dating. 

Jane nodded, apparently accepting his words. “There’s that time you danced with Audrey.”

“I dance with a lot of girls,” Jay said, flippant and casual. It was a hard habit to break. 

“Not all of them, though,” Jane said, trying for the same tone Jay had used, but not quite succeeding. 

That’s interesting... and promising, he thought. “What, you want me to dance with you?” 

A small, quiet smile on her lips, Jane shrugged, her eyes downcast. “I don’t think I could keep up with you.” 

“Ouch.” 

Jane’s cheeks darkened as she stared at Jay, wide-eyed. “I didn’t mean it like that!” 

Jay couldn’t help but laugh. “Relax, little fairy, it takes more than that to offend me.” 

“Still...” she mumbled, focusing entirely too hard on cleaning up the mess left behind from her omelets. 

It made Jay grin. “But really, you probably should’ve declined taking the letter.” When she looked at him in confusion, he clarified. “Now people will know you won’t mind being a delivery girl.” 

“I mean. I don’t mind. We see each other often enough.” 

The slight blush on her cheeks intrigued Jay. “Does that make us friends?” 

“Sure,” Jane said, brow creased as if Jay had said something weird. 

“So you consider everyone you see often enough your friends,” Jay continued. 

“I guess. I wouldn’t be unfriendly to them.” 

“What about Chad,” Jay said, curious now. He’d seen the way Chad was with Jane, seen the familiar way he spoke to her that was at odds with the dismissive attitude he showed her. 

Jane scrunched up her nose. “Well. I wouldn’t call him a friend, per se.” 

“What would you call him?” 

“Someone that I sorta grew up around, I guess.” When she noticed him staring at her, she shrugged. “Someone who became more interested in popularity than childhood games.” 

Jay nodded. “Want me to rough him up a bit in tourney or something?” 

His question startled a laugh out of her. “No, nothing like that.” 

“You sure? It’s very easy to make contact with someone,” he said, matter-of-fact. 

This time, Jane smiled easier. “I’m sure, but I wouldn’t want you to compromise the team.” 

“If you’re cheering for us,” he began, placing his hand over his heart, “we’ll always win.” 

Jane chuckled. “Do you use lines like that on everyone?” 

“Only on the cute ones,” Jay said with a grin, throwing a wink in for good measure. 

Jane laughed. 

It was becoming Jay’s favorite sound. 

———

Jay walked into Mal’s room, relieved to find her alone, and plopped down on Evie’s bed. “So, hey, Mal, you’re magic, right?” 

Mal looked up from her notebook, staring at him with an impassive expression. “Got hit on the head in one of your sports teams?” 

“No one hits me,” Jay said in an effort to stall. 

“Uh huh.” She returned to whatever was on the page in front of her. “What’s going on?” 

Jay snorted. “Can’t we pretend to have small talk before you twenty question me?” 

“Sure, how’s the weather,” Mal said, deadpan, as she turned a page. 

Jay rolled his eyes. “Fine. What’s something that a magic user would like to receive as a gift?” 

“Who’s asking,” Mal said, tone suspicious. 

“Me. I’m asking. For me.” 

Mal narrowed her eyes. “Uh huh. And why would you ask this?” 

“Because I’m curious,” Jay said brightly. 

She studied him. “Who are you trying to woo?” 

“ _Woo_?” Jay repeated with a laugh. 

“Gotta be someone special,” she said as she closed her notebook. “After all, you came to _me_ for dating advice.” 

“I am _not_ asking you for dating advice, you suck at dating—“ 

“Look in the mirror, ass.” 

“I’m asking you for gift advice.” 

Mal hummed. “Don’t think I have a good track record with that either.” 

“Ah hell, that’s true,” Jay conceded. “Well, I’m screwed.” 

“Glad we had this fun moment, thanks, Jay.” 

“So no gifts.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Now what.” 

“What are you trying to accomplish here?” Mal asked, though more to herself than him. “Don’t you normally grin at people and they flock to be at your beck and call?” 

Jay gave her a rueful grin. “Yeah, well. She’s kinda immune to that.” 

“Color me intrigued,” Mal murmured. “Does she know you exist, at least?” 

“C’mon, it’s not that bad.” 

“Just checking,” Mal said with a smirk. 

“We’ve actually been talking a lot lately,” Jay said with a smile. “And she’s really funny. Sees right through my bullshit, too, but she plays along sometimes.” 

Jay blinked, realizing that Mal hadn’t said anything for a few moments. When he glanced at her, he found her staring at him. “What?” 

For a few seconds, Mal remained silent. Then she shrugged. “Seems you’re shit outta luck.” 

Jay blinked at her before saying, completely deadpan, “Gee, thanks.” 

Mal snorted. “You just said ‘gee’ so yeah, you definitely can’t be saved.” She easily blocked the pillow he threw at her. “Look, I don’t know much about anything in this dating scene, but Auradon girls seem to appreciate the thought and effort that’s behind any romantic gestures or whatever. So. Just be true?” 

“Vague advice, thanks,” Jay said, but he appreciated her effort. 

“You came to _me_ ,” Mal reminded him. “You want solid advice, go to Evie or Ben.” 

Yeah, no thanks, Jay thought to himself. Bad enough he was embarrassing himself in front of Mal; there was no way he’d repeat the effort with Evie and Ben. 

“So,” Mal drawled out after a few moments of silence, “who’s the girl who’s putting you through the ringer?” 

In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought, and he cleared his throat. “Jane?” 

“Jane,” Mal repeated. “As in, daughter of Fairy Godmother.” 

“Yeah,” Jay said, drawing out the word. 

“I have... so many questions,” Mal said slowly, but a grin began to curl her lips. 

“And I have to go,” Jay said, sensing the friendly ribbing coming his way. He hopped off the bed and made a beeline for the door. 

“We’re gonna talk about it!” she called after him. 

Jay gave a half-hearted wave over his shoulder as he nodded. “Bye, Mal!” 

———

“Something smells amazing,” Jay said as he walked into the kitchens. 

Jane looked up from watching the oven, offering a small smile. “I think I’m getting better.” 

“I’ll say. I hope you know I have to do extra drills because of you,” Jay said as he hopped up on the counter. “I’m in danger of losing my figure.” He patted his stomach, a mock pout on his lips. 

Jane chuckled. “Whatever would you do.” 

“Obviously the only way to cure my woes would be to eat more of your cooking.” 

“Prefect logic,” Jane said, a grin forming on her lips. “Pretty and smart, what a dangerous combination.” 

Jay couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on his face even if he was given gold to do so. Well, that settles that, he thought. 

“So, Jane, I have a really important question for you,” he began, squashing his nerves. 

He hadn’t prepared to do this so soon, or without much thought behind it, but Mal had said be true. This method, reckless and straightforward, would be true to himself, definitely. 

“Okay,” Jane said, wariness crossing her features before they smoothed into amusement. “If you’re going to ask me if you’re still pretty, it’s my burden to inform you that yes, you are.” 

“Not my question,” Jay said, amused despite himself, “but it’s always good to know you think I’m pretty.” 

Jane shook her head a little, a small smile on her lips. “What’s your question, Jay?” 

Here goes nothing, he thought. “Wanna be my date for the New Year’s shindig?” 

Jane’s smile faded. “What.” 

Trying not to wince, Jay spoke again. “Will you accompany me to the New Year’s Festival, as my date?” 

“As your date,” Jane echoed, features blank. 

Slipping off of the counter and standing before her, Jay nodded. “As your date.” He offered her a smile. “If you’ll have me.” 

Jane stared at him for a long, long moment. “You wouldn’t joke about this, right?” 

“Of course not,” Jay said with a frown. “I’m an idiot and a flirt, but I’m not cruel, especially not when it comes to you.”

A smile broke across her face, and Jane practically flung herself at Jay, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. 

“Woah,” Jay said through his laughter, holding her close. “Is this a yes?” 

“This is a yes,” Jane said, her words almost spoken into his neck. She hugged him tighter for a moment before pulling away, looking up at him with a besotted smile. 

A besotted smile that Jay was sure mirrored his own. 

“Jane,” he began, reaching for her hand. 

Jane bit her lip. “Yes?” Her thumb lightly brushed against his fingers. 

Jay smiled, leaning in to kiss the back of her hand. “I think something’s burning.”

Gasping, Jane all but pushed him out of the way to get to the oven, shushing him when he laughed at her fretting. 

Apparently, she did burn it a little. 

Not that it mattered. 

He’d always eat anything she cooked.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it, malicebertha, and hope you're having very happy holidays!


End file.
